India thrash China 7-0 to storm into Asia Cup final against Korea.
India booked their place in the Asia Cup 2025 final with a resounding 7-0 victory over China on Saturday, September 6, in Ranchi. A brace from Abhishek and goals from Shilanand Lakra, Dilpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, and Rajkumar Pal powered the hosts into Sunday’s summit clash against defending champions Korea, who edged Malaysia 4-3 in a thriller.
India, needing only a draw to qualify, came out firing after sluggish starts in earlier matches. Lakra opened the scoring in the 4th minute before Dilpreet doubled the lead from a rebound. Mandeep struck in the 18th minute to make it 3-0, with India dominating circle entries 12-0 by the 20th minute.
Rajkumar and Sukhjeet added goals in the third quarter, while Abhishek sealed the rout with two strikes, showcasing India’s depth in attack. Notably, India have had 11 different scorers in the tournament — a sign of balance ahead of the final.
China, who had tested India in their tournament opener, barely threatened as they struggled against India’s relentless pressing.
Korea break Malaysian hearts with stunning comeback
Earlier, Korea staged a remarkable fightback, overturning a 1-3 deficit to beat Malaysia 4-3 and secure their spot in the final. A brace from Hyeonhong Kim and goals from Jungjun Lee and Seoyong Oh sealed the win, despite Malaysia twice taking the lead.
Malaysia looked on course after goals from Fitri Saari, Aiman Rozemi, and Syed Cholan, but Korea’s persistence in the final quarter paid off. Goalkeeper Jaehan Kim produced crucial late saves to deny Malaysia an equaliser from multiple penalty corners.
Kazakhstan secure 7th spot in 10-goal thriller
In the day’s opening fixture, Kazakhstan defeated Chinese Taipei 6-4 to finish seventh. Agymtay Duisengazy scored five goals, including two in the second quarter and a penalty stroke in the 56th minute.
Despite a hat-trick from Tsung-Yu Hsieh, Taipei couldn’t keep Kazakhstan out in a see-saw contest, conceding their 36th goal of the tournament.
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